Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Aura of Storms
by ArbitraryRenaissance
Summary: It's difficult to believe that such a vastly beautiful world could be under such distress-or so Charmander thinks. If you woke up transformed into a Pokémon with no prior memory or knowledge of the world you're in, you, too, may find yourself confused by your surroundings. Charmander's main goal is to figure out his origins, but the world seems to have a different plan for him.
1. Prologue

~(S)~

Snivy poured hot water from his thermos into his tea bag laden tea-cup, the warmth of the water giving him a wave of relief. After hours of walking, he finally let himself rest for a moment. He readjusted himself after he set down his thermos; as he did so, he felt the massaging grooves of the shingled bark scratch across his back. As he waited for his tea to cool and steep, he relaxed...and observed.

Chesto Forest had a unique beauty to it, Snivy thought. It was a shame he hadn't been able to observe the intricacy of the forest yet. But once he had, he began to discover several little details that deviated from most woodlands. When blooming, the pink leaves of the Chesto Trees transformed the deep green foliage into a vivid mixture of lavender and jade. Even after the trees have matured with their fruit, the dots of pink remained until the trees shed their leaves for the winter.

He took his first sip of tea and closed his eyes as he took in the sounds of the woods. As he consumed his drink, he observed the soft rustling of leaves dancing gently with the wind. The chirping of the exotic birds that inhabited the location; tailows, swablu, and starlys; all created a calming harmony. He took notice of the juxtaposition contained in the forest's noises. The soft swaying sounds of the leaves contrasted the sharp chirping of the birds. Likewise, the songs of the bug Pokémon produced dissonance with the chattering of the mankeys hanging by the high tree-tops. And they all came together to produce an ambiance that helped define the forest.

As he inhaled, he recognized the scents of the forest. The pollen of the Chesto Trees' late bloomers (which was oddly potent for this time of year) produced an aroma that harmonized with the fragrance of Snivy's tea. The organic smell the woods reminded Snivy of his life back home; he would always take a stroll in the nearby Lunar Woods whenever he couldn't sleep or wanted to take a break from life.

When he thought about it, Chesto Forest felt very homely. The beautiful nature that resided here was so much like his favorite spots in the Woods back home…

Home. It had been, what, two weeks since he left? The semblance of his neighborhood still lingered in his mind, and he couldn't stop feeling terrible for leaving everyone behind. _You chose to run away, _a voice told him. _You left only because of your ambitions and now everyone is feeling the effect of it. You should be too._

Snivy finished the last of his tea and stood up. "Yes, I ran away," he said to himself. He brushed himself off and approached the path he was following. "And I'm going to abide by that decision, so I ought to keep running. It's not as if I was of much use to them anyway." As he worked his way to the path, he realized that he had forgotten the direction he was going. He reached for his backpack and pulled out a map and compass. After working out which direction North was, he turned to his map to pinpoint where he was, and determined that he should be going left. He put the items back in his backpack and continued along the path.

As he strolled through the woods, the dimming of the sky told him that he had lost track of time. _I suppose I've covered enough ground for today, _he thought to himself. _I should set up camp before it gets too dark. _He searched the area for a flat spot to set up. Luckily, he found a small treeless grassy hill located not too far from the path in a fairly short amount of time. He paced over to the spot and set down his backpack, preparing to set up for camp.

Snivy didn't remember the process of setting up a tent to be so difficult. After a long twenty minutes of getting the supports and stakes properly placed, and ten more minutes of setting up the tarp, the result was a crooked and somewhat unstable mess of shelter. Unsatisfied with the results, Snivy took down the structure and tried building it again. _It must be the new environment, _he thought to himself. _It's been nothing but plains and grasslands up to this point._

By the time he was satisfied with the tent, the sun vanished completely from the sky, leaving the dazzling beauty of night. Quickly, Snivy grabbed the lamp he packed and turned it on. He searched the surrounding ground for twigs and sticks to make a fire. After a short period of searching he returned to his camp with a horde of thick twigs and thicker branches. He organized the smaller sticks into a conic structure, surrounded it with stones he found lying about in the woods, and lit the wood with a match box he had brought along with him. Soon a blazing fire had taken place of the twigs that were once there.

Memories of home came rushing back to him, just as they always did every time he set up camp the past two weeks. But they were more potent here. This was his first night camping in a forest on his journey, and it reminded him of the nights he would have campfires out in the Lunar Woods on the warm summer nights. His older brother Servine often came rushing into the woods from their home shouting with contagious glee that he had finished writing his latest song. He'd give the lyrics and melody to Snivy and ask him to play, and he would, pulling out his lute and performing. The songs that followed would draw up a crowd, and the neighbors would be angry on account of them not being invited.

The songs came swimming back to his mind, and Snivy couldn't help but sing aloud. _The Roses of Redshire _called to Snivy the loudest (again), and he found himself chanting the lyrics.

_I have seen places of dark mellow tone,_

_I have seen sights that have dazzled and glown,_

_But through sea and through sky,_

_Nothing stretches so high_

_As the beauty of Redshire and roses They've grown._

_..._

_I've traveled through villages, traveled through towns,_

_Traveled through canopies, crevices, crowns,_

_But the time's wearing thin_

_before times become grim,_

_So I'll stay here in Redshire to set those woes down._

It was at the second verse that Snivy stopped and realized he was singing like an absolute buffoon. He figured it didn't matter anyway; no one was there to hear him.

Snivy accidentally sent a pang of loneliness into himself. That song was always more fun when someone was singing harmony along with you. It was Snivy's decision to travel independently; that way, he could have more freedom and not burden anyone. And up until now, he was fine. But now that he thought about it, the lack of company really began to get to him. Hopefully this feeling would go away once he arrived at Machoke's Training Camp and met new Pokémon.

He walked over to his pack and grabbed the pamphlet he had received. He reflected over why he decided to head out in the first place. Everything had changed so quickly. Ever since the Arashi showed up, the world has been slowly falling into chaos. Snivy wanted to help stop them.

But he wanted more out of it, too. He wanted answers. Why were they so evil? What caused these Pokémon to raid villages and attack the innocent? Snivy wanted to find that out.

But above all, Snivy wanted change. He wanted to create a new life by himself, for himself. He did not want to get caught in a life guided by those around him. He wanted to go out and look at the world: see new places, meet new friends. He didn't want to live isolated from the rest of the world like he had been when he was with his family.

Still, though...he wished they were okay. The village wasn't in the best shape when he left.

To put his mind off the topic, Snivy grabbed his hunting knife and went out into the woods to find something to eat.

He had a bit of trouble traversing through the terrain. He was never as agile during the night as he was during the day, therefore it was a bit more difficult to maintain stealth. Every now and then he'd find a sleeping rattata or minccino, but they always woke up and ran away before Snivy could do anything about it. _I wasn't designed to hunt under these conditions_, Snivy thought to himself, annoyed.

After what felt like an irksome twenty or so minutes of searching, Snivy decided that he wouldn't catch anything and headed back for camp. But as he turned around, he spotted out of the corner of his eye a sleeping sentret about ten yards from him. _Well, there's a possible dinner_, Snivy thought to himself. _But, I've seen this Pokémon before. When sentret senses danger, it lets out an alarming cry. If I fail to catch it, all of the Pokémon will hear it and flee. I'm going to have to be quick about it...and accurate._ Snivy weighed his options. _If I keep walking through, I'll return safely to camp but with no food. If I try to attack, it's pretty likely that I won't be successful. But there's still the possibility that I manage to snag it...I suppose I don't really have much to lose._

Snivy adjusted his stance so that he could get a clear shot of his target. He held his breath. In the blink of an eye, the end of Snivy's left vine wrapped around the sentret's mouth and neck, muting it from its screams. The vine's grip tightened as Snivy pulled the sentret towards him. As it was being launched, Snivy extended his right vine and lashed his prey's torso region. Snivy stopped sentret right in front of him, left vine still restraining his mouth and throat. A large gash began to appear where Snivy had whipped it. He gently set sentret on the ground. The Pokémon was young: still a child. Snivy suspected that the mother may return soon. He quickly checked the sentret for consciousness. Lack of movement confirmed that it had fainted. He let go and retracted his left vine. There was still breathing and circulation, so it was still in stable condition. That had to be fixed.

Snivy pulled out the knife he brought with him and solemnly looked at the fallen sentret. This was the worst part of hunting every time. "Sorry, kid," he gently said to it as he brought his knife up to the Sentret's throat, which had grown swollen from Snivy's vine grip. He looked away as he scored the animal's neck. After sighing deeply, Snivy dragged his dinner back to camp.

When Snivy returned, he set the sentret down near the still burning fire. He added another large branch and began to set up his cooking stand. Soon he had a pot resting on a grill like stand above the fire. He went to the sentret corpse and began skinning it. Once all of the fur had been removed, Snivy tore at its back and tail for the meat. Sentrets weren't the most muscle high creatures. They had small legs and arms, and used their back and tail muscles often to help balance themselves on their tail. The only locations with a relatively large amount of edible meat were those places. Nevertheless, Snivy cooked up the raw food on the stovetop and it made for a satisfying supper.

It dawned on Snivy after he finished his meal how exhausted he was. Even though he liked to consider himself agile, Chesto Forest was proving to be a challenge. Without hesitation, Snivy crawled into his tent without even bothering to put out the fire. He grabbed his pack and set it down inside the tent right before retiring to his bed. He was asleep the moment he enveloped himself in his blanket.

~(S)~

Snivy woke to find that it had been a lot colder than when he had fallen asleep. It was probably just the morning dew keeping the ground cold. But why didn't it get this cold the other mornings he camped? Snivy shrugged it off and assumed that it was just because the forest was more humid. But whatever the reason, the cold made him resistant to getting up. He curled tighter into his sleeping bag and tried to go back to rest. It was bound to get warmer as the morning passed.

But Snivy couldn't sleep. The light and coolness were too overpowering, so he just rested there for a while.

Deciding that a bit of exercise would warm him up for the time being, Snivy shook off the cold and stood up. He opened his tent, and stepped outside. The ground was a lot wetter than he had expected. Rather than beads of dew lying on the blades of grass which massaged your feet with a cool moistness, when Snivy placed his foot on the ground, water seeped from the apparently waterlogged soil, forming a shallow pool around his foot. _Interesting_. Snivy quickly walked over to the fire. The pot had been filled with water and the fire was completely extinguished. _It must've rained. That would explain the abrupt coldness._ He looked around and noticed that a few of the branches had cracked and fallen. Apparently it had more than rained. _Wow, _Snivy thought. _I must've slept through a storm...and a large one at that._

Snivy walked back over to the tent and wrapped up his sleeping bag and pillow. Thankfully, he decided to place his backpack inside of the tent after he set it up. He brought the pack and the transportable bed outside of the tent and placed both on the pile of sticks he had collected last night, as that was the driest location to put them. He then went over to disassemble his tent, which took much quicker than it did to construct.

As he went over to pack up his tent, he spotted a small colony of mankeys running across the jungle terrain. Snivy blinked. _Wait, running?_ Snivy kept staring, probably with a bit more confusion than he should have felt. _Mankeys live in treetop colonies, _Snivy pondered. _Seeing one alone on the ground is not too uncommon, but they never leave the trees in groups, let alone whole colonies. Something strange is going on..._

Curiosity got the best of him, and Snivy decided to follow them. He brought his backpack with him in case he got lost and followed the direction of the mankeys.

They were fast for tree-dwelling creatures. Snivy was barely able to keep up with them. Hopefully he wasn't wandering too far from camp. Getting lost would not be fun. _It's not too risky_, Snivy thought to himself as he tried to keep pace with the mankeys. _I know the direction I'm going. Plus, the trail's right next to where I'm running. I'll just follow it should I lose my way._

Snivy continued to follow the mankeys. They began to pick up the pace, as if they knew they were being followed and tried to escape from their pursuer. On his left, Snivy noticed out of the corner of his eye a strange orange blur. He glanced over to see what it was, and instantly fell over a large root and slid face-first across the muddy ground. He looked up and sighed, realizing that he had lost sight of the mankeys. He stood up in defeat and scraped off the mud from his face. He turned around and headed over to the orange thing that caused him to lose his focus.

He was expecting it to be some sort of large exotic flower, but the shape told him otherwise. What also caught his eye was a small crater surrounding the object. Several of the surrounding trees had fallen away from it as well. He also thought he saw a few sparks of static around the object. As he approached the figure, he found that it was actually the body of a lying Pokémon. _Oh, no! _Snivy thought as he began to run towards the Pokémon. _It must've gotten caught in the storm. I need to go help it!_

Snivy set down his backpack and got up next to the fallen Pokémon. The body structure and flamed tail confirmed that the Pokémon was a Charmander. Snivy rolled the Charmander on its back and began to shake it thoroughly.

"Hey! Wake up! Are you alright?!" Snivy shouted at the passed out Charmander. Remembering his basic training for situations like this, Snivy checked Charmander for a pulse and breath. The burning flame on its tail confirmed that it was still alive, but that didn't mean it wasn't in critical condition. Luckily, though, both breathing and circulation seemed stable, so it didn't need immediate attention. Maybe it had just passed out from exhaustion. If so, it needed warmth.

Snivy headed over to grab his blanket to wrap around Charmander. However, he had to stop to turn and look at it as it began to rustle itself awake.


	2. Chapter 1

~(C)~

He suddenly felt consciousness returning to him. He stirred as he grew more aware of himself and his surroundings. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

He sat up and looked around…or at least tried to. All he determined was that he was in a forest before a green worried looking creature ran up to him. It must've been a young grass-type Pokémon.

"You're awake! Thank goodness. How are you feeling? Are you hurt?" the green Pokémon asked, sounding concerned.

His eyes widened in shock. He tried to stand and move away from the green creature, but ended up tripping over an odd crater that he was resting in. "Uh—I—H-how are you…!" he murmured, unable to form words.

The concerned Pokémon blinked. "Uh, you don't look so good. Can you hear me? Is there anything I can do to help?"

He took a deep breath. "You…are a Pokémon. And you're talking. How are you talking?"

The Pokémon paused for a moment. "I'm, uh…contorting my mouth to make words. This shouldn't be too strange. You're a Pokémon and you're talking."

He almost felt insulted. "Me? But I'm not a Pokémon. I'm—" he said before stopping to look down at at himself. He was expecting to find a lean, hopefully clothed human body fit with tan skin, long fingered hands and flat feet. He stood up, flabbergasted as he found a tubby anthro-reptilian body. His arms and legs were short and baby-like; his fingers were short stubs and his toes…well, they weren't exactly toes at all. They were sets of claws that helped him balance on the ground. Instead of the fair tan skin he was expecting, he was covered in an orange hue. The exception was a large pale-yellow overlay that covered his entire torso region and continued down to his stomach and through to his tail. _Wait, tail? _he thought. He looked behind him. There was a bulky two-toned tail behind him with a lively flame on the tip of it. It wasn't a painful flame that scorched his skin: rather a part of his body. He suddenly became conscious of it, and could feel himself creating it and keeping it going. He was a…

Charmander simply couldn't say it. "—I'm a human," he finished in a tone of disbelief, coupled with a hint of sadness.

"Sir, you seem like a Charmander to me. I really don't think you're doing well. You must've gotten knocked out from the storm. I have a blanket if you're feeling cold, but by the looks of your tail, you're in pretty good condition. Though, from the immediate looks of it, you may be suffering from a bit of amnesia…" The Pokémon suddenly changed his expression. "Um, I'm sorry. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Snivy," he said, putting out his hand.

Amnesia? It occurred to Charmander that he in fact did have no memory of anything that happened before he woke up. His entire life up to now was a complete blank. All he had was his new form and basic intuitive and instinctive abilities. He obviously knew how to talk and communicate. He probably knew how to walk and to run. He hopefully knew how to read and write.

And he _definitely_ knew for a fact that before he was here, he was human. But he didn't know how he knew.

Snivy slowly retracted his hand back. "I…Are you sure you're alright?"

"No I'm not!" Charmander snapped, glaring at his hands. "This is…very new to me."

"Um, do you know how you became unconscious? Or how you got here in the woods?" Snivy asked.

Charmander shook his head. "No. I have no idea where I am…or who I am…or what's going on for that matter."

"Oh…" Snivy wore an analytical expression. He paused a moment and said, "Well, if you want to know, you're in Chesto Forest. I was passing through here when I saw you lying on the ground, so I went over to help. Um, since you don't remember ever being here, you probably don't have any way of getting out of this forest. If you want, you can come with me."

Before Charmander could reply, a rustling sound was made in the nearby bushes. Snivy and Charmander both heard the noise and directed their attention to whence it came. The sound continued, accompanied by a soft stirring in the leaves. Suddenly, a wild Mankey appeared out of the bushes. The Pokémon abruptly rushed over to a nearby placed backpack which Charmander assumed belonged to Snivy. Mankey swiftly grabbed the pack and rushed off into the forest.

"Wha—! My supplies! I have to go after it! Come on!" Snivy exclaimed before sprinting after the fleeing Mankey. Charmander, in light of not having time to think, quickly followed.

Snivy was a lot more agile than Charmander had anticipated. The forest had a number of roots and fallen trees that made traversing rather difficult. Additionally, the ground had been wet and muddy, which slowed Charmander down significantly as well. He had a tough time merely keeping sight of Snivy, who was passing through the terrain with remarkable ease. To Snivy, a collapsed tree in the path was just another small hurdle. To Charmander, it meant spending ten to twenty seconds climbing clumsily over it. Above all else, he was in a completely new body. If anything proved that he was once human before, it was that this new form of his was just that: new and unfamiliar.

The chase only lasted a few minutes but it felt like hours. It wasn't too long after they had started running that Charmander was gasping for breath trying to keep up with Snivy. He began to wonder why he was following this strange green creature in the first place, but reminded himself that Snivy was his only escort and companion in this strange forest. Finally, Snivy came to a halt. It took Charmander a minute or two to finally catch up to him.

Snivy was staring wide-eyed at something in front of him. Meanwhile Charmander was busy gasping for breath next to him.

Snivy looked to his right, where Charmander was perched. "Ah, good. You've caught up," he said to the panting Charmander.

Charmander looked up at Snivy and gained enough breath to say in an exhausted voice, "You're fast."

Snivy grinned. "You'd be surprised. I've been a lot worse here lately. You should see me at night; I'm a total klutz," he replied modestly.

Charmander looked up at where Snivy was looking. In front of him was a very steep grassy hill; far too steep to climb. It was covered with grass and small shrubs, and at the top bore a handful of green and pink trees. The most notable feature was a large gaping hole at the base of the cliff. It extruded into the hill's interior, showing it's rocky body that was covered by a layer of fauna. "What is this place?" Charmander asked Snivy.

"As far as I can tell, it's just a cave," he answered. "The Mankey that stole my backpack ran into it. Unless there's an exit on the other side, there shouldn't be anywhere for it to go."

"Well, then odds are he's still in there. I'd suppose you want to venture into it?" Charmander asked.

"Of course! I was just waiting for you to catch up so that you could help me," Snivy said before catching himself. "Um! That is, if you want to help me. Having a companion and a source of light would be very helpful…Actually, without my supplies, I have no way of producing any form of light. So, for me to get my supplies back, I really need your assistance," he said, looking at the tip of Charmander's flaming tail. "I figured since you followed me here, you'd be willing to go with me, but if I'm wrong, um…that's understandable I guess…"

Charmander looked back at Snivy and considered his choices. Considering he only knew Snivy for only half an hour, he was hesitant to immediately trusting him. Plus, when looking at the cave, it seemed…mysterious. By looking at the walls, which were grooved and relatively smooth, you could tell that this wasn't a natural cavern. It could be potentially dangerous. But neither Charmander nor Snivy really had any choice. Snivy needed to find his things and Charmander needed someone to accompany him. The choice was obvious.

"No, you were right. I'd be happy to help," Charmander calmly replied.

Snivy smiled and briskly said, "Thanks. That makes my life a lot easier. I'm ready when you're ready."

Slowly, Charmander and Snivy entered the cave. The above ceiling cut out all light from the outside, letting the darkness and coldness slowly take over the ambiance. In only a few steps, the sunlight was completely invisible, and the only source of light was the flame dancing on the end of Charmander's tail.

Eventually, they came to a room with multiple corridors leading in different directions. Charmander looked behind him; the path they emerged from looked just like all the others: dark, and mysterious.

"Wait…This is a mystery dungeon!" Snivy claimed in realization. "They're strange locations that change their path every time you enter them. That would explain the odd shape."

"A mystery dungeon? So they're different when you re-enter them? How could something like that ever happen?" Charmander asked in disbelief.

"I don't really know. I don't think anyone does. There's more than one reason they're called mystery dungeons."

That left Charmander somewhat disappointed, but he decided not to further question it. Instead he focused on the objective at hand. "So, does that mean the Mankey that took your stuff is in a parallel dungeon, and not this one?" he asked.

"I believe so, yes. But that doesn't mean we can't find him. All mystery dungeons have a beginning and an end. If we get to the end of the dungeon, we'd be in the same endpoint Mankey would be."

This just confused Charmander even more. He decided he'd look more into it later. "So, all we need to do is keep exploring?" Charmander asked.

"Yup, until we find the end. Keep an eye out for Pokémon, though. In mystery dungeons, aggressive ones appear and attack."

Charmander looked at Snivy skeptically. "Um…wild aggressive Pokémon? Doesn't that sound a bit dangerous?"

"Don't worry; it's nothing you and I can't handle," Snivy assured.

Sure enough, when they reached the next room, a zigzagoon was perched at a corner ready to attack. The battle didn't last long; the wild Pokémon attacked Snivy first. As it jumped on him, Snivy pulled out its vines and whipped the zigzagoon off to his side. It fell on the ground with an abrupt crash. It struggled itself up, and went for Charmander. Charmander reacted by grabbing the zigzagoon's forearms and swinging it to the side, causing it to stumble over. As it got back up, Charmander almost instinctually let out a burst of flame through its mouth. The flame struck onto the weakened zigzagoon, and it fell back a final time, fainting on the ground.

Charmander stood there surprised. "Did you see that? How did I even do that?"

Snivy chuckled a bit at his expression. "Did you know that you could breathe fire? It's a well known fact here."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't know how." Charmander's heart was racing. He laughed to himself. "Aw, man. That felt good."

"Okay, come on," Snivy said, still looking amused at Charmander's bewilderment. "We'll find more enemies for you to roast."

~(C)~

"Have you ever been in one of these mystery dungeons before?" Charmander asked Snivy as they passed through the corner of a large corridor. They had been traversing through the dungeon for a while now and Charmander grew less inclined to continue along without conversation, and more inclined to know more about Snivy.

"A couple times, but it's been a while. Why do you ask?" Snivy answered as they walked along the corridor.

"Uh, just curious. You were pretty good with your attacks against the Pokémon back there and I was wondering if it was because you had any experience with these situations."

"Oh. Well, I have been doing a lot of hunting lately. I've been traveling by myself and obtaining food has become a routine. Beating these creatures isn't too different from hunting wild Pokémon."

"How long have you been traveling?" Charmander asked.

"About two weeks."

"Two weeks? This isn't a normal camping trip. Where are you planning on going?"

"A place called Machoke's Training Camp." Snivy grew a small look of sorrow. He sighed and said, "Bad things have been happening lately. Evil Pokémon—and I don't use the term 'evil' a lot—they have been congregating. They've coined themselves with the name 'Arashi.' They raid, they pillage, they kill the innocent; I don't know what's gotten into them but they need to be stopped. So retaliation groups have been formed, Machoke's Training Camp being one of them. I wanted to be part of the solution and decided to join. So I left home and have been traveling ever since."

"So, why are you by yourself? Is no one in your family at least willing to support you and come along for the journey?"

"Oh, no; it's not like that at all. My family was incredibly supportive. They gave me supplies and excellent moral support. My brother even suggested, as you did, to come with me along the way. But I didn't want to burden him and declined. I decided that I prefer traveling alone." He looked at Charmander as if he wanted to let something off of his chest. "Well…Actually, to be honest, I'm really glad that you're here with me. Not only are you a source of light, but you're also an interesting Pokémon. Being alone…_was_ starting to get to me a bit…"

There was a bit of an awkward moment of silence before Snivy spoke up again. "So, you really know nothing of your past self?"

"No." Charmander replied, somewhat coldly.

"But you said that you were a human."

Charmander was silent for a moment. It was curious how he knew that. "I may have no memories, but I still have the knowledge I received from my past self. I guess just how I have knowledge of how to walk and talk, I have knowledge of being a human before I woke up."

"So, I guess that means you're sure about this?" Snivy asked.

In all honesty, Charmander did begin to feel doubtful. It would've made a lot more sense if he were just not thinking clearly from the amnesia. Under most circumstances, Charmander felt he would put these doubts to consideration. But he couldn't this time. If remembering his old form was all that he was given after being thrown on this world, if his only true memory of his past was of being a human, then how could it be false? How could the only thing he felt certain about up until now, the only piece of truth he had, be untrue?

Charmander made up his mind. "Yes. I'm certain of it."

Snivy lowered his eyes, as if afraid Charmander would say that. "Well, if you're positive, then I believe you. It really makes your past a mystery, but in a way, it does make a bit of sense. Charmanders aren't very common in these areas. Most of them live on a whole other continent."

The conversation came to a close once they reached the end of the corridor. Thankfully, the room they entered would be their last. Inside was a large open plateaued floor with a steep cliff-side. There was a streak of sunlight, indicating a crack in the cave's ceiling. At the end of the floor was a plump bug Pokémon. When it heard Charmander and Snivy's footsteps, it turned around, revealing it's suit-like exoskeleton and illuminated antennae. The Pokémon buzzed forward at Snivy and spoke, grinning. "So you're the Pokémon that the Mankeys found traveling through this forest? And it appears you've found a friend, how quaint."

Snivy looked at the strange bug Pokémon. "I suppose I am. What matter is it to you? I came here to find the Mankey that took my supplies."

The bug Pokémon's grin faded. "Well, if you're going to be so abrupt about your presence, then I guess so will I. I am Volbeat," he said. He pulled out a pamphlet that read "Machoke's Training Camp" on the front. "Do you know of this place?" Volbeat asked.

Snivy stared at it then looked back at Volbeat. "Yes. I'm on my way there now," he said. "Why do you care where we're going?"

"Isn't it obvious? Where you're going is a danger to me and my cause," Volbeat said. "Therefore _you _are _also _a danger to me and my cause."

Snivy's eyes widened. "Ahh…you're one of the evil Pokémon. You're one of the Arashi."

Volbeat shrugged. "'Evil' is relative."

"I'll take it that you're not going to hand over my pack?" Snivy asked.

"We'll see if you can earn it back," Volbeat said before charging at Snivy with a tackle. Snivy got pinned onto the hard ground with a _thud_ that echoed about the room. As Snivy struggled to get himself free, Volbeat glared at his pinned target blankly as his antennae began to brightly glow and shake. He let go of Snivy, who stood up disoriented. He stumbled randomly trying and failing to get a good shot at Volbeat with his vines.

Volbeat then went for Charmander. But Charmander was prepared. He sidestepped Volbeat's attack and blew an ember on him as he stumbled forward. He felt his heart pounding already. _This guy's going to be a bit tougher than the other Pokémon. I'm going to have to be on my toes,_ he thought before getting blinded by a light beam that came from Volbeat's antennae.

Volbeat proved to be a cunning fighter. He knew what attacks he could use to his advantage, including his ability to fly, and knew when to use them. He didn't just blindly dive in like the other Pokémon did. What was even worse was that he showed no sign of weakness or fatigue. A thought occurred to Charmander that he might actually might not win this. He decided quickly to block that thought out. At the moment, all he could do was keep pushing.

The fight lasted more than a few minutes. Punches, slashes, scratches, and tackles were all thrown. Charmander continued using his ember and Snivy intricately attacked with his vines. Volbeat persisted with his disorientations, light beams, and tackles. But the fight finally came to an end. As Volbeat began attacking Charmander with a confuse-ray, Snivy restrained him from behind with vines. He held tightly onto Volbeat as he lifted him up and threw him against the rock wall. Volbeat fell limply and couldn't get back up.

Charmander caught his vision and his breath as Snivy ran up to Volbeat. "Now give me back what you stole!" he shouted, obviously angered by the fight.

Volbeat shrugged. "Very well. Mankey!" A Mankey emerged from the entrance carrying Snivy's lost supplies. "These goods serve no use to us, and these two won the battle fair and square." Volbeat grinned. "But I don't play fair. Dispose of those supplies and see to it that they are never seen again."

"No!" Snivy yelped. But Mankey ignored Snivy and ran to the cliff's edge, throwing the pack into the dark crevice. Snivy ran off to the edge, flinging his vines down after the falling pack. But it was too late. Within seconds, all of the supplies were already out of sight. Snivy pulled back his vines and stood up with a defeated look on face. When he turned around he found that Volbeat had already taken to the sky and was heading out of the cave. "Good luck on your journey, Snivy," he called out mockingly before flying out through the ceiling's opening.

Snivy just stood there with a stone-cold look. Charmander felt a wave of sympathy for him. Their entire purpose for going through this dungeon was to regain those supplies. Snivy must be devastated. He walked over and sympathetically put a hand on his shoulder. He wondered how important all those supplies actually were. "C'mon. There's nothing we can do about it now. Let's head out."

Snivy was silent for a moment. "You understand I'm not going to be able to get you out of the forest now, right?" he asked.

So the supplies were pretty important. So important that without them they were lost in the woods. "That's okay," Charmander said. "I'm sure we'll find a way out."

Snivy shook his head. "Without the map and compass that was in my pack, we don't really have a sense of direction."

"But there are trails and paths in the forest, right?"

"None to Machoke's Training Camp. Besides, the trails that are there are a huge maze. We're in pretty deep and getting lost is pretty easy, especially without a map."

Charmander thought for a moment. "Hmm…Do you have anything else aside from the supplies that got lost?"

"Well, there are a few things at…" Snivy's eyes widened. "My base camp! There's still a bunch of supplies there! We still may have a tough time getting out of the forest, but surviving is going to be a whole lot easier. Let's go!"

It seemed that that was all Snivy needed to raise his hopes. With haste, both Pokémon headed out of the dungeon, which, thankfully, took far less time than it did to go through initially. Within a matter of minutes the two Pokémon were smelling the forest's beautiful scents, feeling the forest's soft ground, and embracing the radiant sunlight.


	3. Chapter 2

~(C)~

"So, if I remember clearly, I left the knife, the stand, the pot, and, umm...matches, but with you here that's unimportant. Alongside less useful items I also have a lamp, but it still burns a bit more brightly than your tail. Plus, two lights could still be better than one. Umm, is there anything else I'm forgetting about?" Snivy was announcing his thoughts as they passed through the forest. Meanwhile, Charmander took note of his surroundings, as he didn't have the time when he was first out here. There were a wide variety of trees, but one type stood out heavily from the others. Where most of the trees had green leaves and grew tall, this type had pink leaves and was small and plump-almost like a shrub with a long stump. Looking at the closer ones, he found that they bore blue crystal-shaped berries.

"Remind me again what the name of this forest was?" Charmander asked.

"Huh?" Snivy seemed lost in thought, perhaps continuing his survival strategy on his own. "Oh, it's called Chesto Forest. It's named that because of the evident abundance of the-"

"Trees, yes," Charmander interrupted. "The pink ones, right? Are their fruit edible?" he asked, curious of what his future diet may be.

"Well, yes, but they aren't very enjoyable. They're very hard and rather dry. Plus, they don't have a lot of flavor to them."

"Hmm. I suppose if we grow desperate for food, it could be an alternative…"

"Well, they're not something we can live off of. They have the tendency to keep you awake for extended periods of time."

"So, then, what other options are there for food?" Charmander asked.

"I've been hunting. Plenty of wild Pokémon are around here. Stantlers, ursarings, zigzagoons, sentrets…"

Charmander nodded. "So, how long do you expect us to stay here in the forest?"

"I don't know, really. It depends. Once we find someone passing by who we can tag along with, we can make our way out with them…" He paused for a moment. "But as I said before, this place is massive. And there are a lot of paths that cross each other. The odds of us bumping into someone else are pretty slim. So, we could be here for a while."

Charmander nodded. "Okay, then. So, what's the plan? Just wait it out?"

"I'm afraid so. I hope you're not upset about that. This wasn't exactly what I had planned."

Charmander shrugged. "Why would I be upset? Yeah, we're lost. And the initial plan of getting out of the forest seems to be a bit…impossible. But at least I'm not dead. Or alone. Or in an area where there's a lack of resources. As long as we keep planning we should get out of this in time. Plus, you seemed hopeful after remembering this 'base camp' of sorts, so things can't be too bad…"

Snivy grinned as he looked forward. "I guess not," he said. "Oh, hey, look. There it is!" He pointed forward at an open area in the distance. It was tough to make out through the mess of trees, but there appeared to be a hill about a hundred feet out. As they paced towards it, Charmander began to notice various objects present. There was a fireplace and a pot near the high end of the hill, as well as a hunting knife on the floor next to a sentret's dead body. When they got to the spot, Charmander chuckled a bit. "So this is your incredible camp that we'll be surviving easily on?" he commented sarcastically.

"Yup. It's not much, I know, but what I left behind are some of the most important things. I haven't gone a day without using that knife over there. I don't know what I would do without it," Snivy said. He suddenly caught glimpse of the dead sentret. "Hey, look at that." He walked to the carcass. "I killed this thing yesterday. It's hardly started decaying yet. How cool…" Snivy rolled the sentret over and examined it some more. "And I didn't even mess up the fur I skinned it."

As Snivy continued inspecting the Sentret, Charmander observed the base. He found that there wasn't any shelter nor was there any food. That could prove to be a problem rather shortly. "Hey, Snivy, uh…we have nowhere to sleep…and nothing to eat."

"Huh?" Snivy's attention shifted to Charmander. "Oh, yeah. Yeah…yeah. Uh...here: I'll stay here and set things up. You can go out and hunt for food. Don't venture out too far, though. It would be bad if you got lost."

"Okay," Charmander said. _Hunting…Shouldn't be too hard. _"Any advice on what I should look for?"

"The largest thing you see is my best advice. I'm pretty darn sure nothing here is dangerous to eat, with the exception of certain bug types, but other than that, you should be good. Keep an eye out for streams and ponds too. Fresh water is far more important than food at the moment."

Charmander nodded. "Alright. I'll see you in a little bit." He turned and headed into the forest.

Charmander wandered tentatively through the terrain. He did his best to keep a sharp eye for any wild Pokémon. Although, he was having no luck finding anything yet.

Charmander found himself by himself for the first time after waking up. He hasn't really yet had the opportunity to contemplate himself and his surroundings. Who was he after all? Why was he a Charmander? Who was he before this? And what does he do with the life he has now? It angered him, realizing that these were all questions to which he should know the answer. Not knowing them made him feel so...lost.

Charmander focused his attention back to hunting. The first several minutes of hunting went by completely uneventful. Charmander began to even wonder if there even were any wild Pokemon here. However, as time progressed, various woodland creatures began to show themselves. The first one that revealed itself was a ratata running through the terrain just within Charmander's eyesight. Charmander approached it quietly. Unfortunately, after the first step, the ratata fled completely out of sight from Charmander.

The next hour followed a similar pattern. Every time Charmander found a wild Pokémon, it would flee before he could do anything about it. It went from frustrating to utterly boring to frustrating again. At one point he thought he had one. He began approaching a buneary he had spotted. As he grew closer to the wild creature, he prepared for an attack. He was actually close enough this time. He lowered his stance, preparing for a pounce-like attack, and a poochyena leaped out from the side and grasped the buneary by the neck. Without missing a step, it scurried off into the woods with its dinner. Charmander's frustration got the best of him, and, with a reluctant grunt of anger, he decided to give up. After a long period of achieving nothing, Charmander headed back to the base camp in defeat.

On the way back, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye that he hadn't yet seen. There was a slight glimmer in the distance-an odd flash that would every now and then reappear, flickering hither and thither. He turned to where he saw it and headed in the direction whence it came. As he continued walking, he began to hear the faint sound of flowing water. Charmander perked up. _Water. Alright! _He approached the sound of the newly discovered stream to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. It didn't seem so. As he grew closer, the sounds became more pronounced. He began to make out the shape of a large river. _I'm not completely useless!_ Charmander sarcastically thought to himself.

Finally he got to its edge. Before him lay a stream at least five meters wide. It flowed gently until it reached a waterfall further downstream. Charmander was uncertain of how steep the falls were, given his position, but they were steep enough for him to hear an abrupt crashing noise. Chesto leaves occasionally fell into the water, flowing along the calm stream. He saw A few Magikarp were swimming up-stream, splashing out of the water every now and then. The water soon began to reflect the orange hue of the setting sun.

The sun was setting. _Oh. It's getting late. Enough sight-seeing; I should probably head back,_ Charmander thought. With haste, he made his way back to the base.

The river was surprisingly close by. He even found a much clearer and more navigable route that led back to the trail where camp was. The sun wasn't even set by the time Charmander made it back to camp.

When he returned, the base was renovated quite a bit. Two small shelters, composed primarily of sticks and leaves, stood perched near the top of the hill around the fireplace, which was already refueled on wood and ready to burn. A dead stantler was lying off to the side. The pot that was once on the fireplace now rested beside Snivy, who was tending to a Sentret hide. He was hanging it along a nearby tree, tying on what appeared to be vines to it to keep it upright, as if stretching it for tanning. When he realized Charmander had just arrived, he set aside what he was doing and went over to Charmander.

"Welcome back," Snivy said. "You were gone for longer than I had expected." He turned his head to the dead stantler. "I forgot to give you the knife to go hunting. Sorry about that." Charmander had completely disregarded the fact that he needed a knife to hunt. Snivy continued. "Anyway, a stantler passed by not too long ago. You probably weren't going to catch anything so I got him myself."

Charmander shook his head. "Snivy, you made the right decision holding onto that knife. If you'd have given it to me, I would need a much better reason for why I came back empty handed. Umm…" His thoughts trailed as he walked over to and observed the shelters. They were in the shape of small triangular tents. Each was only large enough to fit one person but they still seemed fairly well-made. The walls were composed of large leaves which rested on a scaffolding of sticks, which were held together by knots of thin vines. A lacing of mud coated the bottoms and tops of the tents to keep the leaves from blowing away. They seemed rather durable for shelters made within such a short time frame. "You made these? Was I really out for that long?" he said, impressed.

Snivy gave a modest shrug. "Well, we needed shelter." He perked up a bit. "Speaking of essentials, I just remembered we don't have any water. That's the most important-"

Charmander interrupted. "There's a river not too far from here. But dude, you built shelters!" He lightly shook the top. "And they're stable."

"Trust me, they're not that impressive. You, however, found a river, which will do us a lot more good. I think we should-" He looked up at the sky, which had grown black. "We should wait until tomorrow before going. It's late and easier to get lost. I'll work on skinning the stantler. You could work on getting the fire started," he said, heading towards the stantler. Charmander obeyed and got the fire started in a matter of seconds. He looked at the fire with a grin. _Not too shabby,_ he thought. He may not have been useful when it came to hunting but it seemed he was quite the firestarter.

The stantler was too large for the fire. When assessing how they were going to cook the beast, they concluded that there was no way a fire of that size could roast it whole. Even if they cooked it limb-by-limb, they wouldn't be able to manage the large parts, like the breast or flank. "On second thought," Snivy said as they were cooking the arms and legs, "'largest thing you find' is not good advice for hunting." Charmander replied with an odd smirk as he flipped the roasting stantler legs. He looked back at what was left of the stantler carcass. Within the next day, the rest of the meat would've been contaminated and inedible.

It didn't really matter, Charmander thought. As long as the meat was tasteful and filling (which it was, Charmander concluded after he had began eating), he was satisfied. After they had finished, they set the cooking stand aside and let the fire burn. Snivy put another armful of twigs on the fire and sat before it, watching the fire burn the sticks away. He began to hum an odd tune to himself as he watched. "What's that you're humming?" Charmander asked.

"Huh?" Snivy seemed entranced from the tune he was playing to himself. "Oh, sorry; I didn't even notice. It's just a campfire song I like. Do you want to hear the lyrics?"

Charmander shrugged. "Do you want to sing the lyrics?" Snivy didn't indicate whether or not he did, but Charmander could tell by the look on his face that the answer was yes. "Go on ahead," Charmander remarked.

Snivy grinned. "Forgive me; I don't have the best singing voice," he said. He cleared his throat and began to sing.

Snivy was being incredibly modest. There was no other possibility. Charmander refused to believe that every Pokemon had this perfect of a voice. Snivy sung with perfect pitch and excellent range. He had great dynamics and style; Charmander could see why Snivy could become so out-of-touch just by his own humming.

The song came to a halt. That…was beautiful," Charmander professed. "Where did you hear that song?"

"My brother taught it to me. He's an incredible songwriter. I think he adapted it from one of the poems he had found in his books. He showed the song to me, and I thought it was amazing." Snivy smiled. "He said that he made a harmony line for me when he made it. I picked up on it and started singing with him. Everyone we sang to said we were amazing, but I never believed them. They probably just thought we were cute…Anyway, I've been singing it to myself quite a bit lately."

"They were honest, Snivy. I thought the same way."

Snivy was silent. He almost seemed contemplative. He laid down on the grass and looked at the sky. "Thanks," he said.

Silence fell on the camp after the conversation died down. The fire started to calm down and the chattering of the bug Pokémon in the distance smothered out the light crackling of the fire. Charmander scooted closer to it for warmth. Snivy eventually broke the nightly calm with a light sigh. "Crazy day," he said softly.

Charmander chuckled at the understatement. "I guess it's not what you'd call your 'average day'."

"So, how was your first day as a Charmander?" Snivy asked, sitting back up.

That was a bigger question than Charmander anticipated. "I don't know. The whole 'being born' thing was a big plus. We got caught in a tight spot, but everything turned out okay, though not according to plan. I wouldn't call it the best day of my life, though" He caught himself. "Actually, I guess I would. The only thing is that I'm still fairly clueless. What exactly happened in the cave? I heard the word 'Arashi' brought up, but what exactly does it mean?"

Snivy paused for a second. "Remember when I said that there were evil Pokémon popping up? That's what they're called. They can be dangerous. From what I've heard, they're normally in groups, and large ones at that. Volbeat was alone. He must've been travelling. Or surveying the area. Or spying."

"Who would he be spying on?"

Snivy shrugged. "Why not me? I'm the enemy; I'm on my way to Machoke's Training Camp whose sole purpose is to fight the Arashi."

"Wouldn't you think there are more important people to spy on than potential new recruits?"

"I'm sure they're making efforts to spy on them as well."

"Well, why would they waste one of their Pokémon just to spy on us? Surely there are many others out there who want to join this cause, but wouldn't it seem strange if the Arashi spent one of their men for each one that they found?"

Snivy paused for a moment. "Okay, so maybe he wasn't spying on us _per se_. Maybe he was ordered to patrol the area for potential recruits and stop them. That's definitely what he did for us."

"That would make a bit more sense. Is this area a common place for travellers who want to go to this Training Camp to pass by?"

"Yeah. It's actually pretty ironic that we got lost here; Machoke's Training Camp is just off the edge of this forest. If we knew where it was, we'd probably be able to get there in a day or two."

Charmander perked at that statement with a bit of dubiety. "Wait. Did he know that the Training Camp was here?"

"No. None of the Arashi know about the Training Camp. Most normal Pokémon don't even know about its location."

"Then how would he have known to 'patrol' this area? To them, this is just another path in the Chesto Forest, right?"

Snivy wore a blank face, and then his eyes went wide. "I…You're right. If he was this close, he must've discovered the Camp."

"Is that bad?"

Snivy ignored the question, but judging on the look on his face, Charmander knew what the answer was. "If we caught him when I suspect we did, he had just found Machoke's Training Camp, and was on his way back."

"Now, hold on a second. How are you so sure he found it?"

"We're only a bit more than a day's walk away. If Volbeat flew high enough, he'd be able to see the Training Camp from here. There's very little doubt in my mind. He's probably heading back to inform the others now," Snivy said with a shadow of concern in his voice. "They'll be coming soon."

Charmander was beginning to catch on. "You suspect that the Camp's anonymity will soon be depleted." After a brisk nod from Snivy, Charmander continued. "I don't know. All of this seems to be a bit too implied. Maybe he didn't find it; maybe the camp is masked from above by trees or something. They mean for it to be difficult to find, I'm sure."

Snivy gave a thoughtful look. "That may be so. Oh, wait…Damn it; he still has the pamphlet, which contains a map locating the Camp."

"Oh." Charmander had forgotten about that pamphlet. "Well, that confirms it. He knows. How long should it take for the message to spread?"

"I don't know. A week maybe? Another couple of weeks for them to plan an attack?"

"Well…for the time being, we're safe. The Camp is well-prepared for an instance like this occurring, I'm sure."

"It's not the camp I'm concerned about. It's us. What if we don't make it there in time?"

Charmander gazed into the red glaze that was left of the fire. "We have a little while before we need to worry about that. We'll figure something out. We've managed to get this far."

"We're stuck in the woods without direction or protection," Snivy remarked.

"And may that forever be our biggest concern."

~(C)~

Charmander couldn't sleep. It wasn't cold or uncomfortable; the conditions for sleep were fine, with the exception of the loud chirping of the bug Pokémon. He just wasn't tired. He looked blankly at the wall of his little tent, mindlessly bored as he had been for the last hour. He couldn't keep going at this; he'd never fall asleep. Maybe he just needed to get a bit of exercise to tire his body out.

He got up and decided to wander about a bit. Not for long; ten minutes at best. To the river and back. Before he headed out into the woods, he grabbed the knife Snivy had left beside the pot, which had an odd jelly-like substance in it. Charmander gave it a confused look. He made a mental note to ask Snivy about that tomorrow. He headed off into the darkened woods, knife clenched in-hand in case some wild Pokémon tried to attack him. He didn't know what beasts lurked about at night and Charmander was a pretty obvious target with his flame tagging along behind him on his tail. It was best to be prepared.

The glow of Charmander's tail lit up the nearby area as he walked through the woods. The nearby Chesto trees almost appeared orange from the hue it produced, and the bark of the larger trees seemed red rather than their usual brown. He remained alert, trying to remember his way to the river.

When he had made it there, he sat down as he observed. The stream was exactly as he had remembered. The same leaves, the same Pokémon, and the same crashing sound of the waterfall inhabited the area. If anything had changed, it would be that the water was even clearer now than it was before. He only used to be able to see the Magikarp when they splashed out of the water. Now, he was able to see them as they swam. They were less lively and drifted along the current with the leaves, as if they were asleep. Charmander wondered whether they would be alright as they fell down the waterfall. He directed his attention up-stream and wondered if the river would lead to Machoke's Training Camp.

It had just dawned on Charmander that Snivy would probably ask him to join this Camp with him. If it was anything like how he pictured it; that was, a boot camp where you would perform hard work and exercise to be turned into a well-trained military machine; then it was nothing like what Charmander wanted. As guilty as he felt about it, the conflict with the Arashi didn't seem to concern him. Yes, they seemed like bad Pokémon and they needed to be stopped, but Charmander didn't feel inclined nor cut out to be the one to try and stop them. Besides, his interests were more on his existence. Those questions about who he was that he'd asked himself still echoed in his mind, and they wouldn't go away until he'd found a suitable answer. How could he be focusing on those questions when he was training to be some sort of soldier all the time? Charmander shivered at the thought of telling Snivy that he wasn't going to go with him, but he knew it had to happen. Now all he needed to do was find out what he _was_ going to do when they made it out of the forest.

Charmander sighed. That wasn't the best thought to leave off on but he had extended his stay and was beginning to grow tired. As he stood up he swore he heard something rustle in the nearby bushes. He jumped at the sound and clenched the knife with both hands as he slowly inched forward, keeping his eyes and ears open. He knew that if there was a hostile creature nearby, it would be able to find him.

Charmander relaxed a bit. _The atmosphere must be messing with my mind._ He continued along the path.

The rustle came again. He thought he heard it on his right side. He directed his attention towards a bush in that direction. He stopped moving; keeping his feet firmly planted, waiting for something to come out. Whether it be something as bad as a rabid ursaring or something as small as a baby ratata, Charmander didn't know. He held a firm grasp on the knife, heart pounding. He swore his tail got brighter. _It's nothing_, Charmander thought, trying to calm himself down. _Just a buneary heading towards the river for a late night drink...or something like that._ He slowly began to inch forward, towards the bush. He heard another shake, this time coming from behind. He panicked and turned around harshly, swinging his knife about the air in a frenzy. As he did so, he fell back into the bush on which he was focusing. The landing wasn't very comfortable but he didn't hear any Pokémon as he fell. If there was once anything there, there wasn't anymore.

Knife still firmly in-hand, he started back to camp. _This is going to be a normal walk. This is still my first day on this planet, and I am not going to die. There's nothing behind me. _He heard a low growl behind him. Without even giving his brain time to think, he flinched as his arm lashed back at the sound he heard with an upward thrust. His attack seemed to have silenced whatever made the noise, if there was one in the first place. With his knife still exactly where it was after he attacked, he gained the confidence to turn around ever so slowly. What he saw frightened him so much that he dropped his knife and jumped back with an awkward shout. A large mightyena was staring him down, red eyes slightly higher than his and mouth open, displaying its large canines. After Charmander had dropped his knife in fright, the beast fell forward in a lifeless stumble. When Charmander had further inspected the Mightyena, he found that the knife had caught the beast in its throat. It still rested there, and when he removed the knife, dark red blood began pulsing out, forming a pool around the slain beast.

Still jittery from adrenaline, Charmander sprinted back to camp in fear that there may be more of them. When he made it back, he sprawled into his little shelter and turned back towards the woods, making sure he wasn't followed. Silence. He set the knife aside, crawled into a ball, and rested there more awake than ever.


	4. Chapter 3

~(M)~

Masquerain woke in agony. His two right wings were dented and broken. He tried to move them, but the only result was a massive throbbing pain that dared to send him back into comatose. He fought it back by clenching his teeth and holding a flinched position. His left wings didn't fare too well either, but they didn't seem crippled. He managed to produce a light flutter with some effort, but it didn't carry him anywhere. Scratches and bruises covered his body as well, but he couldn't feel them. The sharp ache he was feeling from his wings drowned out anything else that may have caused pain.

He remembered it all. He was flying high, looking for peat in the dead of night with his party directly below him. He deliberately remembered the skies being clear, and his feelers in their upright position…yet the rain still came. Out of nowhere he began hearing a light _patter_ from below. Then came small beads of rain whizzing past him. The frantic calling for him by his party soon followed as he began steadying himself, trying to make it to the ground. A sudden blinding flash of lightning took away his focus, a disastrous crack of thunder calling after it. The droplets came faster, and Masquerain was unable to keep up with them. One finally hit him square on his front right wing, neutralizing it. He fell with terrifying velocity, left wings beating frantically in resistance. He saw the ground before him, and braced himself for impact. The wind came right on cue, throwing him right into the trunk of a nearby tree, his right wings making a _crunch_ upon impact—a sound that even thinking about made him wince. He fell limply to the ground, out cold.

Now, he lay here, in a gloomy cave. The room was lit up by a modest torch burning on the wall behind him. Before him was a corridor that led somewhere unknown. Masquerain wanted to explore, to see what was there. But, alas, his wings were broken. He wanted to shout for someone but the pain had taken his voice and all he could let out was a faint whisper. All he could do was sit there and wait…

He soon heard footsteps. The silhouette of Weavile made its mark on the wall. He entered the room carrying a torch in one hand and a vial of a thick yellow substance in the other. He spotted Masquerain and said, "Abra said that you had woken up."

Masquerain said nothing. Partly because the pain kept him from wishing to speak, but mainly because of whom he was talking to. Masquerain was always baffled by how he convinced himself to put so much trust in such a shady Pokémon. First, it was allowing him to scout ahead while the others rested, then it was putting him as second-in-command. Now they're practically best friends. Masquerain trusted him with his life and yet Weavile always seemed to have something up his sleeve that he didn't want anyone knowing about.

"How are your injuries?" Weavile asked.

"Agonizing and brutal," Masquerain whispered.

"Here, drink this." He opened the vial. "Nectar of Sitrus: it will soften the pain."

Masquerain accepted the drink. It had a sharp tang to it, and the sourness made him wince. But compared to what he was facing now, the taste was his friend. His mouth felt numb after drinking it. "How long have I been out for?" he asked in a shaken voice.

"Not long. It's been a full night since the incident. After you went down, we quickly found this cave to shelter ourselves. We also found the peat we've been looking for. We've all been here, waiting for you to wake."

As if on cue, Simipour entered the room. "Welcome back to the land of the living," she said with a smirk.

"Simipour," Masquerain said. "How bad is it?" If anybody had been paying attention to his wellbeing while he was out, it was Simipour. She always made herself out to be the team's doctor. She was educated enough, though Masquerain suspected she often diagnosed based on instinct rather than strict observance. Whatever she did, though, she was always accurate with her claims.

"Well, as you've probably assumed, both of your right wings are broken. If we take action for recovery now it should probably take about three to four weeks before you can fly again. And even then, I don't suspect you'll be able to fly the same. I've prepared a splint to help you recover."

Masquerain fluttered his left wing in disappointment. Three to four weeks of recovery meant three to four weeks of stoppage, which meant three to four weeks of nothing being done—at least not with him.

"Masquerain," Simipour said. "Why didn't you tell us that rain was coming? This could've been avoided."

"I didn't know. My feelers never activated." It frustrated him tremendously. His feelers never failed to lower when rain was about to come. _Why had it been different this time? Were they broken?_

Weavile nodded grimly. "That was no ordinary storm. After you went down, we headed for this nearby shelter and waited the storm out. The rain fell in massive and abundant droplets. I was afraid that it would cause a flood and drown this place out.

"The storm persisted for no longer than a few minutes. There was a massive flash of lightning that shook the ground, and like that the rain was gone…If you didn't naturally recognize the storm coming, then it's because that storm didn't come naturally."

"Odd," Masquerain said. "Do you expect these freak storms to come back?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Weavile said.

"Well, the past is history and tomorrow is only known by the holders of Destiny." Masquerain tried to sound strong. _You're still the destined leader. You still have to act as such. _The Nectar was kicking in, and he managed to speak more clearly. "Meanwhile, we should focus on more pressing matters. I'm crippled and unable to move. If we are to make any progress in the next several weeks then I'm not going to be the one leading." He paused for a moment to think things through. "Weavile, I'm putting you in charge of operations until I've recovered. Go with Mawile, Dewott, Krokorok, Ponyta, and Abra and continue our efforts of finding Articuno's Fountain. Head out tomorrow. Tell no one outside of our group that I'm injured. Should the public find out that I'm vulnerable, we could be in serious danger. Simipour, Staravia, and Hariyama will stay with me. Simipour, I'll need you to tend to my injuries. Staravia can send Weavile a message if anything happens. Hariyama can be my guard if things were to go downhill and our enemies found us."

Weavile seemed uncertain. "Masquerain, I'm honored to take your position, but you only just woke up. Shouldn't you take some time to rest before planning things out?"

"I've made up my mind. Gather the others. Take as much peat, food, and water as you wish."

"But—"

"—I'll hear nothing of your concerns. Now leave me at peace. Oh, except for you, Simipour. Could you apply that sling to me?"

Simipour nodded and they all took their leave. Masquerain closed his eyes and let out a wan sigh. _This is not going to be easy,_ he thought.

~(C)~

When Charmander woke up, the sun was beaming and the sunlit ground was warm to the touch. There was an odd smell in the air that prompted him to poke his head out of his shelter. Upon stepping out and standing, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stretched himself awake.

He turned to find that the smell was coming from the sentret hide that Snivy had been keeping. He walked over to it to find that the hide had been folded over so that only the hair was showing. _So he _is_ tanning it,_ Charmander thought. He recalled from last night the odd substance that was in the pot. When tanning, you coat the hide in the animal's brain, as the oils help to naturally tan the hide. _That must've been what was in the pot. And that must be what's baking on the inside of the skin._

A flowing sound of a nearby river reminded him of how thirsty he was. He'd been without water since his sudden appearance yesterday. He figured that the water would need to be boiled first so he headed for the pot. As he searched, he found Snivy emerging from the woods with a pile of sticks. "Ah, you're awake. Good afternoon," he said as he headed for the top of the hill, where the fireplace was.

"Afternoon?" _Was it really_…?

"Yeah. Did you forget how to wake up or did you just stay up later than you realized?" He set the sticks down in a pile near the fireplace. "Well, it doesn't matter. I found that river you spoke of. Good find—that water is being filtered by the magikarp, so it's totally safe to drink."

Charmander nodded. "That's good to know. I was just looking for the pot for that matter." With that he headed for the river.

"Hey, wait up!" Snivy called out before briskly jogging after Charmander. "Just to warn you, there's a slain mightyena along the path."

Charmander slowed. His legs grew somewhat weak in memory of that incident. "Yeah. Let's just say that my first night wasn't the most relaxing," he said in a shy dialect.

"Wait, what?" Charmander was anticipating that reaction. Snivy continued. "It…attacked you?"

Charmander nodded. "I walked to the river after you went to sleep; I was feeling a bit restless. As I walked back I heard the beast behind me. I lashed back,"_ nearly wet myself along the way, _he added to himself, "and he fell."

"Mightyenas are terrifying," Snivy said with a small shudder. "Glad you're alive. You should make note to not go wandering about in the middle of the night. Next time it could be a whole pack. They normally don't hunt alone." In time, they came up to the corpse they were talking about. Snivy laid down a hand on the large black beast's shoulder. "I wonder why he did."

Charmander approached the dead mightyena as well. The smell was foul and the ground still felt sticky from the drying blood. The Pokémon was as lifeless as can be…yet it still frightened him. Its hungry yellow eyes still stared at him…

He looked away and pressed on forward. It was dead; why should it still scare him? _Besides, I was the one who killed it_. "C'mon Snivy, I'm parched. Had I known that the water was safe to drink yesterday I probably wouldn't be able to breathe fire anymore."

Snivy lifted his eyes and ran after Charmander. "The thing must've been an outcast," he said. "He left his pack to fend for himself."

"Why would he do that? Wouldn't it make more sense if the pack abandoned him?"

"Not really."

"Surely he knew that he'd be weaker alone, and that fending for yourself is more difficult. Why would he leave when he was safer with the rest? It would seem more likely that the rest thought him weak and left him."

Snivy shook his head. "Mightyenas don't follow that line of thought. They never abandon their kin. Not en masse at least."

Charmander cocked his head in contemplation, but shook it afterwards. "It doesn't really matter anyway." The river was now right in front of them. The water seemed somehow clearer after Charmander learned of its filtration. "Huh. I still need to do a bit more trial and error, but it seems that I grow uncomfortable discussing the nature of things that have tried to kill me in the past. Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I have a bit of a thirst," he inquired before promptly dunking his head in the water.

The rest of the day went by like a normal day would. After they returned, Snivy went out hunting and came back with two bunearys. Meanwhile, Charmander decided to tend to the fire. The firewood had already been collected, so all he had to do was set it up and get it lit.

It turned out that Charmander really did sleep in quite late. Sunset came much earlier than it seemed to yesterday. _Time is a fickle thing if you don't keep track of it_, Charmander noted. _Maybe the days are shorter here._

He turned the bunearys. They had been roasting on a makeshift spit Snivy had set up. The similar ambiance reminded him of what they needed to talk about. "So what's the plan?" he asked.

"Huh?" Snivy replied.

"For if the Arashi come before we make it to the Camp?" Charmander made sure he said _we_ rather than _you_. He didn't want Snivy knowing of his intentions at the moment. For the time being, it would be easier to focus on the problems at hand.

"Ah," Snivy said. "Run before they see us? I know it seems a bit cowardly but fighting a potential army would just be idiotic."

"No, that makes sense. I'm wondering what we would do after we got away."

"Yeah, I was having a tough time thinking about what we'd do. We could hide away in the mystery dungeon we found for a few days and return to our campsite afterwards. The only problem, though, is that the path we're on would be much more dangerous. We may want to just pack up right when we return."

"What we could do instead is follow them," Charmander said as he took one of the bunearys from the fire. Snivy did the same. "It'd be a bit more risky, but it could pay off. We'd find the Training Camp, though we obviously wouldn't be able to enter it."

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that would be? They'd kill us if they saw us."

"If we kept our distance, I think we'd be fine. They'd think us to be wild Pokémon if they spotted us from afar. Besides, it's not like simply running away doesn't have its own risks. We could be lost in here for much longer."

Snivy thought for a moment. "You make a good point…Still, though. What if they found us out?"

Charmander gave a light shrug. "Well, _then_ we'd run. We'll know if they're onto us long before they get too close. We'll be fine."

"I suppose we'll see." Snivy's tone had a slight ring of optimism to it.

~(C)~

When he woke up, Charmander remembered that he had taken a long walk down the river before going to sleep. He also remembered that he never returned to camp and slept outside.

Looking around, Charmander found that the knife wasn't beside him where he left it. _Snivy must've taken it_. He stood up and stretched. Letting the pink and lime textures of the forest rejuvenate his mind, he headed back to the camp.

The moment Snivy spotted him, he perked up and shouted, "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"What?" Charmander asked. He was almost back to the base camp when he heard. He didn't even see Snivy at first.

"I thought it was made pretty clear to you that the forest was dangerous at night. What were you doing sleeping near the river?"

Charmander hesitated. "Yeah…In retrospect, that may have been a stupid idea. I couldn't sleep last night so I took a walk. After a few hours I began getting tired and headed back. I was about to turn toward the forest, but then the sky began getting brighter, and I figured it'd be more difficult to sleep with a bright sky, and I was very tired and not thinking straight, and the ground was so _comfortable_; so I decided to sleep there."

"Wait," Snivy said. He appeared to have lost his look of concern. "You were awake until daybreak just…walking?"

"Yeah. I had to burn some energy, so I took a long walk. I _also_ wanted to see if I would find anything like a town or other people, but that was more of a side quest."

"Did you find anyone?"

"No, but I got some nice views. This is a really scenic forest; you picked a nice place to get stranded." Charmander recalled coming across another waterfall on his walk. His tail light turned the ripples a lively orange, and revealed the magikarp trying to swim up the falls, only to get buffeted within seconds.

Snivy gave a light chuckle. "Yeah, that goes without saying. Definitely the prettiest forest I've been to. Though, of course, the only other forest I've been to was the Lunar Woods."

"Lunar Woods? Where's that?"

"Uh, they're the Woods near where I grew up. I'll fill you in later; right now, I have something to show you. Follow me." He walked towards the other side of the camp before he quickly turned back. "And no more falling asleep in the middle of the forest. You…had me worried for a bit there."

"Oh, what are the odds of finding _another_ mightyena in the woods?" Charmander mumbled.

"Like I said, next time, it could be a whole pack." Snivy's voice was unusually cold. As he kept walking, he picked up a furry object off the ground that Charmander hadn't noticed and draped it around his neck. Charmander immediately realized what it was.

"So, what do you think?" Snivy asked. He had put on the sentret hide that he was tanning the past couple of days. It had been fashioned into a short cape of sorts.

Charmander gave a slight grin. "Y'know, I was going to ask you what you were planning with that sentret hide you were tanning."

"Really? I thought I had kept a somewhat low profile on my work."

"Well, seeing that hide lingering around for a couple of days makes you look a little suspicious."

Snivy shrugged. "I said _somewhat_ low. I'm still impressed you figured out that I was tanning."

"What else would you be doing with a pot full of brains? Making lunch?"

Snivy chuckled. "So how does it look?"

_Not bad, actually_. The pelt cape made Snivy look much earthier. The brown color of the skin combined with Snivy's lime shaded body in a very terrene manner. _Well-suited for a grass-type Pokémon._ "Well, I'm no fashion expert but I think it suits you. Though, I still don't quite understand why you decided to make it. Don't you think we should focus more on survival than clothing?"

Snivy shook his head. "Not really. This is our third day being stuck here and we're thriving. Why not pass the time and comfort ourselves?" He fixed the cape with two sets of leather laces. "Oh! I made something for you too." He grabbed another object lying on the ground and tossed it to Charmander, who promptly caught it. "Happy belated birthday!" Snivy chimed.

The object appeared to be a necklace of sorts. A leather band held in place five pointed objects: two of which appeared to be teeth and three of which appeared to be claws of differing sizes. They were arranged in an alternating pattern, so that the two smaller claws were on the outside and the larger was in the center. The teeth, which were much smaller than the claws, were placed between the claws, giving the design a staggered geometry. "Oh, thanks," Charmander said. Something caught his eye. "Wait a minute. Are these the fangs and claws of the mightyena that almost killed me a couple of days ago?"

Snivy grinned. "Yup! Think of it as a reward to claim for taking it down."

_I'll try, but I fear it will just serve as a reminder for how terrifying that was._ Charmander let out a forced smile. "This was really nice of you. Thanks."

"Bah, it was nothing." Snivy glanced in the sky for a second. "The sun will be setting in a couple of hours. We need to collect a bit more wood for the fire. Could you do that? I'll go find some meat."

Charmander nodded and headed out towards the forest. _I need to get up earlier. That was a short day,_ he thought.

As if reading his mind, Snivy called out, "Oh, and get up earlier tomorrow. I'm planning on making some renovations to the camp and I'll need your help. If you're not awake by noon, I'm getting you up myself."


	5. Chapter 4

~(D)~

"Come on!" Weavile shouted, waking up the rest of the camp. "Wake up; we're moving out!"

Everyone in camp began to stir. Dewott had already been awake. He had gotten into the habit of waking up a couple of hours earlier than the rest so that he could do some training in the forest. Weavile commanded a strict agenda of searching that consumed the entire day, so Dewott had to extend his schedule to maintain his abilities.

Mawile groaned as he sat himself up. "Weavile, why are you doing this to us?" He almost sounded on the verge of tears, though it was probably just the restlessness making that impression.

"I swear, this is much earlier than the normal time you wake us up," Krokorok murmured.

"Yeah, it actually is," Abra added. "It's about 37 minutes earlier." That sparked several groans of distaste.

_You're all a bunch of whiny children_, Dewott thought.

"Will you all quit complaining?" Weavile snapped. "Yes, it's earlier. We have a lot more ground to cover. We're leaving Chesto Forest today. I hope for us to make it to the Iron Desert before sundown."

Ponyta, who was still sprawled on the ground, suddenly perked his head up. "Wait, what? The Iron Desert?"

"Why are we heading there?" Krokorok asked.

"Our search seems to be failing here," Weavile said. "The Iron Desert is our next best guess. Rumor speaks of oases where pillars of ice supply fresh water to surrounding villages. There may be some connection to Articuno's Fountain there."

"We can't go exploring the Desert; we'd never survive!" Mawile said. The sudden shift in agenda had completely woken him up as well.

"Sure we would. We just need a steady supply of water and food," Weavile said.

"What about medical aid?" Mawile asked. "What about navigation? What about protection from the heat or from sandstorms? We can't accommodate for all of that."

"We can and we will."

"I agree with Mawile," Krokorok said. "We need more resources. If we head into the desert now, we'll be in trouble."

Weavile looked cross. "If we keep a level head and know where we're going, we'll be fine."

Dewott was surprised by this sudden shift of plans as well. There was nowhere near enough reasoning behind it without it looking suspicious to him. "Weavile, I'm afraid I must speak against venturing the Iron Desert as well."

Weavile scoffed. "Dewott, surely you don't think that we aren't capable enough to—"

"It's not that." Dewott's tone was a bit more assertive than he may have intended. "Are you not forgetting that Masquerain and those with him are here in Chesto Forest?"

Weavile raised a brow. "Masquerain's wing is not due for recovery for another several weeks."

"Which would give us hardly enough time to patrol the Iron Desert. And if we do find the fountain, we'll still be missing half of our group, including the most important Pokémon."

"If we find it, then we'll make our way back and tell Masquerain."

Dewott shook his head. "We still have parts of Chesto Forest that we haven't scanned yet. Masquerain would want us to stay close by."

Weavile did not look convinced. "Masquerain would want you to listen to the orders given by the person he put in charge."

Dewott softened his posture. He found himself deeply conflicted with Masquerain's choice in leadership. While he held the highest esteems towards his leader and strived to remain diligently loyal, Dewott could only feel that Masquerain's decision to put Weavile in charge for the time being was a bad choice. Weavile, though obviously on Masquerain's side, seemed…untrustworthy. Every action of his seemed to have a hint of 'I'm doing something I don't want you to know about' to it. Even before he was put in charge, he frequently acted suspicious. Now he was torn between obeying Masquerain by listening to Weavile, and abiding to his lack of trust for him by not listening.

"That's what I thought," Weavile said, his posture unchanging. "Now get the food, water, and peat ready. We're going as soon as we break our fast."

They made a crude buneary and potato stew for breakfast. The potatoes, garlic, and salt had come from their supplies. Krokorok caught three bunearys and Dewott fetched water. They put it in a pot and boiled it all together. Some put Chesto berries in the stew to help them wake up. Everybody begrudgingly ate very slowly.

An unexpected outsider appeared as they ate. Coming down from the trees buzzed a plump looking bug Pokémon with longing eyes. "Is that smell coming from here?" he asked in a soft but sudden tone.

Everyone jumped at the unfamiliar voice. Weavile stood. "It may be. Who are you and why do you ask?"

The bug Pokémon landed. "I'm Volbeat. And, well…I suppose I was curious. My stomach yearns for something other than Chesto leaves."

"Well, we have a bit of buneary stew left," Abra said. "Though we don't have a spare bowl."

Volbeat lifted his hand. "No, it's quite alright. I'm—" He suddenly stopped amid staring at the party members, his eyes growing a touch wider. "So tragic is the fate of the Gods," he said in a more hushed tone.

That sparked a number of reactions, several of which, including Dewott's, featured confusion. Ponyta perked up. "Oh, I know this," he chimed, cantering lightly in place. "Um…and so featured are the…no. What was the stupid counter-response?"

"Yet so rewarding is their consequence," Weavile said, his speech similarly hushed.

"Yeah, that," Ponyta said. "We're on your side."

"I thought your party looked familiar," Volbeat said. "Uh…Where's Masquerain? Shouldn't he be with you?"

Weavile lifted his eyes. "Uh, he…He decided that it would be better for us to split up until we've scanned the rest of Chesto Forest. We only have small pockets left to search."

Volbeat nodded. "I hope he's safe. Someone who's a part of the Prophecy should be well-protected." He put on a grin. "Well, I'll be heading back to my base of operations now. I've discovered the location of Machoke's Training Camp and I—"

"You what?!" Weavile exclaimed.

Volbeat's smile grew wider. "Yeah, I found the Training Camp we've been searching for. I'm heading back to tell the others and stage an attack."

"Where's your base of operations?"

Volbeat paused. "Um, it's just along the river over there. It's probably a day or two's hike to get there."

Weavile turned to the rest of the group with a smile. _What are you planning? _Dewott thought.

"Breakfast is over," Weavile said. "Let's get ready to move. We'll be staying in Chesto Forest for a little bit longer."

~(C)~

The past several days had gone by in a productive blurb. If Charmander had been keeping count properly, they were twelve days in the forest now; however, it seemed like it was longer and felt like it was shorter. They had been renovating left and right, producing crude weapons, setting up a lookout, improving the shelters, and widening paths. For two Pokémon, it seemed like months worth of work…and yet it felt like it had gone by in just a few days.

Granted, nothing was too high of quality. The weapons were simply long sticks with pointed ends, used mainly for fishing for magikarp. The lookout was a cleared area atop a high tree that only Snivy could get to by grappling up with his vines. The shelters, however, had been completely redone. After several days of tanning caught hides, they set up two small conic shaped tents which were much roomier. But they had definitely spent the most time on creating new pathways. Since there wasn't a very convenient path to the river, it was decided that they would create one. The rough natural path that they had found earlier was cleared of longer grass and fallen logs, making it much easier to pass through.

Despite efforts, Charmander was never able to get over his habit of staying up late. Eventually he affirmed that it was a habit he wouldn't be able to break, and tried to get used to it. He would still always take long walks, sometimes changing his route. Tonight, for example, he went to the mystery dungeon they had explored on his first day of being a Pokémon.

The way to the dungeon was very unknown to Charmander. He'd only been this way once, and in that instance he was facing a different direction. The placement of the trees and other flora were unfamiliar in his mind, and he feared it might be easy for him to get lost.

He kept the knife clenched. He'd never been attacked after the incident with the mightyena but it never hurt to be careful; and sometimes he actually felt that he wasn't careful _enough_. Having a glowing tail behind him made himself quite an easy target, and having but a knife for protection may not be enough should another wild beast—or a pack—find his faint glimmer amidst the pool of darkness. Every time he set out on his walks at night, a voice in his mind would say, _You're being a fool. You were nearly killed the first time you did this; how are you so sure you won't be killed this time?_

Charmander never paid the voice any heed. It was but a shadow of a whisper compared to the voice telling him to explore the night. It was too pleasant to simply wait it out. The calm of it made him feel more sharp-minded, which in turn made him feel stronger. Perhaps that was why he had such trouble falling asleep during this time.

As he walked, he found that some of the trees were bent so that they were facing away from the direction he was walking. Several steps later, he spotted the first fallen tree—again, fallen in the direction away from where he was walking. Then he spotted another fallen tree. Then another. And another. Soon he was able to see a whole clearing in front of him. All the trees were fallen, facing away from a point in the center. When Charmander focused on it, he immediately knew where he was.

Charmander relaxed and sat himself down in the small crater where he had first woken up almost a full fortnight ago. _It's been awhile since I saw this place. Maybe I should stop by here more often._ He stayed there in peace recalling all that had happened since he woke up that day, and when he put it in perspective, it seemed so far away.

Those questions that plagued his mind about who he was hadn't left him yet, and he suspected that they would stay until he found a suitable answer. He thought he could find a clue here. This was where he first woke up after all. But alas, the only out of the ordinary thing he found was a strange weak vibe of energy; a resonance of sorts. But he wasn't even sure that was really there…

Charmander found himself walking towards the opening of the dungeon without having much recollection of getting up from his crater. He contemplated actually going inside but decided that it would be best not to. The night was aging and Snivy no longer allowed Charmander to sleep as late as he wanted. He'd be better of sleeping than exploring more. On the way back he decided to make himself useful and collect a surplus of wood so that they'd be set for the next couple of days. He set the sticks and the knife near the fire when he got back and retired to his tent, letting the night slip by until he drifted off to sleep.

~(C)~

Snivy woke Charmander up later than he had the past several days…or at least he thought. The tents that were made let in very little light, making sleep more comfortable for Charmander, but waking up more difficult. He felt a bit more well-rested this time, though, which was why he thought that it may have been later in the day. He rubbed his eyes and sat himself up. "Morning, Snivy," he murmured. He stood up, stretched, and stepped outside, letting his eyes adjust. He wandered to the nearest Chesto tree and grabbed a couple of the berries to help wake him up. "So what's the plan for today?" He turned to find Snivy tending to a fire, cooking a couple of magikarps on a spit.

Snivy turned his head. "Nothing," he said.

"What?" Charmander bit into one of the berries. It was dry and tasteless, but Charmander had gotten used to it. He'd been eating them ever since his sleep schedule had been compromised. "What do you mean?"

"It's going to rain today. Look at the overcast. I'm cooking some dinner for later and then I'll be on the lookout for a few hours. You should probably stay in the tent when it starts raining."

"Wait, so if you want me to do nothing then why did you wake me?" Charmander looked at his handful of berries with regret.

"We're going to want to get an early start tomorrow. Best to maintain your sleeping patterns." He turned the magikarps.

Charmander groaned. _You could've asked me for my intake first. Some people like sleep._

Snivy smiled. "You'll thank me later."

The first droplets that came stung Charmander's skin, making him shiver. "That's my queue," he said. The droplets of rain made him squirm. "I think I might—ah!—My skin must be really sensitive to water." The shower started growing denser. "Damn! See ya, Snivy!" Charmander exclaimed. He ran for his shelter and sighed in relief as he entered his tent. _Huh. I learn something new every day,_ he thought, curling into himself for warmth. He ran a light stream of fire breath into his chest, which calmed him a bit. Because the hides were smoked during the tanning process, the tent was completely waterproof, a feature Charmander had completely overlooked until now.

Snivy soon poked his head in the tent, looking thoroughly soaked. The rain had only been growing stronger. "I'm going to leave the magikarps in here while I go on the lookout. They're a bit undercooked, but it was the most I could do. Save one for me. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Do you really think it's a good idea to be doing this in the rain?"

Snivy nodded. "I really don't mind it. I'll be fine; don't worry." With that he tossed the magikarps and the knife into Charmander's tent and closed the hide flaps. The darkness set and the light of Charmander's tail bloomed, painting a silhouette of his body on the walls. He would've fallen back asleep had it not been for that Chesto berry, so instead he just sat there in his solitude.

He tried to tackle boredom by thinking, though he felt he had been doing quite a lot of this lately. He feared he would soon run out of subjects. _It won't be long before someone finds us now,_ his mind began, searching for a topic. _What will I do then?_ He knew the answer, of course; this time he was wondering _how_ he was going to do it.

_Step one: tell Snivy you don't want to join him in Machoke's Training Camp._ This one was going to be hard. He really started growing attached to Snivy. He's the only other Pokémon that he knows, and following through with his plans meant leaving him. He felt bad enough knowing this. Telling him will be all the tougher. Waiting out on bringing this up to Snivy wasn't helping much either.

_Step two: find the location of a nearby town._ He needed a place to stay. Or, in the very least, he needed somewhere where he could do something. Charmander was fine with the circumstances he was in now, but the problem was that he wasn't getting anything done. He wasn't going to figure out how he went from human to Pokémon by staring at the stars; for that he needed civilization, even if it was just the intake of several people.

_Step three: go there_.

What happened after that was unbeknownst to him.

He didn't know how long it had been before Snivy entered the tent, soaking wet, but he knew that it was nowhere near 'a few hours.' He doubted it was even thirty minutes. "What brings you back so early?" Charmander asked.

"Mist," Snivy said, ringing out his cape. Ever since he made it, he had been wearing it almost all the time. Charmander had been doing the same with his necklace, but he often pretended it wasn't there. Whenever he thought about it, memories of the mightyena's attack hit his mind. He was uncertain why it haunted him so much, but he knew it did. Snivy continued. "The rain is creating a fog and I can't see the ground anymore. We'll just have to wait this out."

"I don't think we have much to worry about," Charmander said. "I don't think anyone would want to be unsheltered in this kind of rain. The Arashi are probably doing the same thing we're doing."

"Yeah, you're right. We can't keep an eye on them constantly anyway." Snivy's voice was chilled and he sounded like he could use a bit of warmth. "So what have you been doing while in here?"

"Uh, thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing in particular." Charmander looked at the ground. _You can't keep it a secret for much longer._

Snivy could tell that something was off. "You don't have a good poker face, Charmander. Something's been on your mind. Want to talk about it?"

Charmander felt his heart drop. "No," he said weakly. "But I may as well since I have to."

Snivy cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

Charmander just realized how melodramatic that sounded. "Uh…" He searched his mind for the right words. "Snivy, what do you think I should do once we're rescued?"

"What? Join Machoke's Training Camp. I thought we discussed this."

"Yes, and we have…sort of, but…" He paused again, still formulating how to say this. "Let me ask you another question. How did I get here?" His tone suddenly went sobersided.

Snivy was silent.

"It's not an easy question to answer, is it?" Charmander was now looking straight at Snivy. "But it's important to me."

Snivy gave a tiny gasp and nodded sadly seconds later. "More important than the Arashi."

Snivy caught on faster than he had expected. "I've been asking myself a lot of questions lately. Who am I? Where did I come from? What do I do now? My mind has been encumbered by these questions, and I need to answer them…or at least try."

There was a brief pause. Snivy had finished ringing his cape and now he had been cradling it in a ball. "You won't be able to find those answers if you stay with me, will you?"

That caused Charmander to look back at the ground in what felt like a hint of shame. "Being stuck in this forest with you is awesome, and I don't hold any sarcasm to that. But I need to find my own direction."

There was another pause, this time much longer. The pattering of the rain on the hide walls suddenly became audible. Because of the overcast, next to no light was going in the tent, and for a moment Charmander thought it was night.

Finally Snivy spoke. "I never told you about my life back home, did I?"

Charmander shook his head. "No. Did you want to?"

Snivy nodded. "I think it will help. Just be warned: it's not too exciting.

"I think I've already mentioned this before, but I grew up in a village near the Lunar Woods, southwest of here. It was a small community, but there were few people who I knew. Everyone seemed to know me, though.

"Anyway, I had a lot of free time, mainly because of my parents. They had expectations set for me, but they didn't really enforce them. I know that they wanted me to stay within the village and work with the community, but they didn't really pay any attention to it. I ended up feeling really detached from everybody. The only person who I really got along with was my brother Servion, and he thought the same way I did a lot of the time. We would go on camping trips all the time together. We always had a spot deep in the woods where we would build a campfire and play songs. He would write, I would play with my lute, and we both would sing." He shifted into a grin. "Sometimes when we played in our yard, all of the neighbors would come and see where the music was coming from. It actually ended up turning into a routine thing: a local campfire that met every other week.

"When news of the Arashi sprung up, things started to change. Everybody started becoming unsettled. An unspoken curfew was set, the market seemed to become emptier, and the Pokémon started secluding themselves. Even the campfire meetings dwindled down to just me and Servion.

"When I found the pamphlet in the mail one day about Machoke's Training Camp, I saw it as an opportunity. On top of the commotion that was introduced in our village with the Arashi, I also wanted to go out and see the rest of the world. I think those camping trips with Servion gave me a curiosity for what was beyond my tiny village.

"It took me a while to consider it, but I finally decided to go. First I told Servion. He wanted to go with me, but I told him that he was more needed in the village. He was one of the most experienced Pokémon there and everyone would turn to him if something happened. He was also one of the most well-known Pokémon there; I don't even think he realized that. He's probably the reason everybody knew me.

"So then I left. I told my parents a few days prior, packed up, and landed here four weeks later."

Charmander sat in contemplation. "Why are you telling me this? You said it would help, but I can't see why."

Snivy put his cape back on. "Because your decision is the same one I made," he said, "and I think you made the right choice."

Charmander smiled. "Thanks for understanding," he replied. "But don't jinx it. We have yet to find out."


End file.
